LA Talk Radio ‘All About Guitar’: Everything SoloDallas.

09 Sep LA Talk Radio ‘All About Guitar’: Everything SoloDallas.

Just a note for you – the reader – as you approach this page: we suggest you click now on the media player and start listening to the audio interview and all the while, you read the preamble to the show as I wrote it below. Just read, look at the pics and listen.

It was my second time there at LA Radio; it’s a Los Angeles based Radio station that broadcasts on the net. How cool is that! My first time there was – I think – over a year ago. I was a newb at this; I probably sucked (though I know I still do… but who doesn’t, after all? Show business ain’t easy).

What usually is in my mind at first (when I have to speak, perform etc.) is my English. How’s it going to be, I wonder? Because you know, it is true I was born here in the good ole US of A (America) but I never really lived here until two years ago. Before, it was just come and go, for all my life.

Certainly I could talk my way out over the years but you could still tell I wasn’t really local. And it’s still the same way today I feel, though I work so hard on it.
So it always still worries me; ‘how’s my English gonna be, I wonder’? Will they understand me?

And you, you non-English-mother-language-ones, isn’t it the same thing for you? It may be. Or maybe you don’t care. So that’s that; that’s always in my mind as soon as I know I have to speak in public (or even on video).

But I went, naturally; I accepted immediately because Jeff truly is a friend and he knows me since when we (SoloDallas) had just came out of the woodwork, years ago: from nothing, from the dust of it all.

So I reacted with enthusiasm (I’m usually enthusiastic about many things at first; then I realize the reality of it; usually that happens the day before of some particular event, including going to Angus in Vancouver or going backstage in Buffalo tomorrow – yup!).

But nothing, nothing really is like the excitement you feel in the guts when you’re actually there, in that little room with the microphones in front of you; those menacing (beautiful) items I love: microphones.

I love microphones. That surely helps me out.
So I start setting up, after saying hello to Jeff Floro (inventor and producer of the show ‘All About Guitar’ and many others before). He is always so friendly and polite. He expects me to be on point with the gear.

So there you have it: first issue: ‘oh sorry Jeff forgot power cable’. Damn, I think. We’re screwed if they don’t have one of those computer power cables here at the radio station, we’re screwed and he’s going to kick my butt so hard it’s going to make a loud sound.

Because we’re 10 minutes before going live, on the air at the radio. He opened the radio just for me, it’s Labor Day, he did it for me; otherwise he’d be home sipping some juice watching TV or something.
But his assistant finds one and I am relieved. I thank the universe.

Fire the amp (look at the picture of it all in one corner) and it turns on; that’s a first relief. Then comes the time of waiting for (good) sound to come out of it. We’re now 5 minutes before going live and we NEED to be on time.
We’re in Los Angeles, USA, here: not some remote Italian radio station where they talk pizza and mandolin.

It’s not happening, however. Amp sounds like shit. It’s over compressing, as if it’s choked or something. Panic.
Real panic, but I don’t show it. We swap attenuators (from mine, my trusty Aracom to his, his Scholz) but same shit. It ain’t happening. Same issue.

Quickly, in my mind I look for alternate solutions. I am scanning. How about I strum my electric guitar acoustically and talk to you about the Schaffer stuff? May that work? I truly caress that thought in those seconds.
Then I react with some other factual idea; need to run downstairs and grab another amplifier from my car. I never travel without a spare now, I’ve learned my lesson when I got interviewed in San Diego by the San Diego Tribune, when the amplifier blew after exactly 1 minute and 15 seconds. One minute and fifteen seconds, I tell you. I was supposed to play in front of the camera and the amplifier blows on me. No spare, nothing.

We ended up strumming the guitar acoustically and me telling the story… sad. But it worked in that particular situation.

But one thing is an interview that will go mostly written and not live; another thing is to be live on the radio. It’s going to go on-the-air babe and if you got nothing to show, go away kid. Just go away and never show up again.

So I run. Pant pant, run downstairs. I got the code for the door. Got the amp and back upstairs (fourth floor). I am sweating like a runner at the marathon for the disabled ones.

But. They fixed the problem: it was a stinking cable (note to self: remember to bring brand new cables when doing shows or going live; double check always on all equipment because if something can go wrong – trust me – it will).

It’s all downhill from that moment on. And you can hear it in the interview. Just sheer pleasure.

You know, I actually recommend to have some issues before your show(s). It makes you shit a little (before) but then, when you’re actually doing it you’re so happy you didn’t fuck up majorly in front of the world that it makes you genuinely happy.

Want to thank our friend Steve who played and spoke after me. He had a hard task to accomplish as he didn’t know anything about me or our products; he had been told to show up and make it happen playing our stuff and he did, right on time. Sweet guy, incredible player. He’s multi talented. I thanked him several times, he needed to know. Thank you again, Steve!

André Heiji

1Comment

Verdigo

Hey Fil, your english accent is a lot better since the last time I heard. Not that it was hard to understand you but I know you use to worry about it. Don’t give it a 2nd thought anymore. Very smooth now.